


A Dragon's First Christmas

by ratchetzelda



Series: The Golden Dragon [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Dragon Queen - Freeform, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 20:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13131759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratchetzelda/pseuds/ratchetzelda
Summary: Dragon Queen. Drabble. Part of The Golden Dragon series. Christmas fluff. Maleficent is learning about Christmas and she misses Lily.





	A Dragon's First Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> It's Christmas Eve and I really miss writing. I wanted to contribute more to my OTPs, so I give you this little drabble.

Christmas had never been something she celebrated, well, there had been no such thing as Christmas back in the Enchanted Forest. For all her years living and breathing, Maleficent had never once had a Christmas Day, or a Christmas Eve for that matter. This realm had so many strange rules and rituals around the Yuletide, she really didn’t understand them all.

 

Regina had insisted they spend this Christmas together, as a family. The notion alone was strange for Mal, after spending so many years alone. Still, it had been all she’d ever wanted with Regina. To be accepted by her — loved — and lately it seemed after all this time, she was _finally_ getting her wish.

 

Henry hadn’t long gone to visit the Charmings, and so Regina decided to fish out their boxes of Christmas baubles, ready to put on the tree when he got back.She’d left Mal in the living room to pick out the ‘best’ ones, while she went to make cocoa. Problem was she didn’t really know what that meant. What made one bauble better than another?

 

She opened up one of the boxes, and picked out a shiny gold orb. Her inner dragon squirmed with delight. She held it up by its string, almost batting it like a cat would —  of course she would like shiny things. Surely there weren’t any better decorations than this one?

 

“Oh, you don’t want those.”

 

Maleficent snapped out of her trance, glancing up at her love from the rug she was kneeling on. Every time she looked at her she felt herself grow weaker, but it was a good thing, perhaps?

 

She never wanted to admit that everything about this realm both confused and scared her. She never wanted to show Regina she was afraid, no matter what they had been through together. She also never wanted to appear, well, _stupid_.

 

“Why not?” She asked, unable to stop herself from frowning. Regina had this odd smile on her face, like she thought she was cute, and Mal didn’t care for it — not right now anyway. “They’re special - they’re gold are they not?”

 

“Glass made to look like gold,” Regina answered softly, setting their cups of cocoa on the coffee table, she knelt beside her.

 

Maleficent was almost pouting by now. 

 

There was another thing she didn’t like, not having the upper hand. As open minded as she could be, she had once been Regina’s mentor  — among other things — it was so hard to go from knowing most everything, to knowing nothing at all.

 

“Oh don’t give me that look Maleficent. I know you like gold. I know you like _pretty_ things, but that doesn’t make something special.”

 

“In your eyes perhaps,” she grumbled, putting the bauble back where she got it from. Frustration was starting to get the better of her — she was a grumpy old dragon after all. Regina soothed her though.

 

“Hey,” Regina whispered, gently using her hand to move Maleficent chin up so she could look at her better. “They are special, but not in the context I mean my love.”

 

She kissed her softly, just a peck, a loving gesture placed at the corner of her mouth. That gesture though, oh it made Mal _swoon_ — not that she showed it of course. Her frustrated look transformed into happiness, and slight confusion as she watched her love shuffle a slightly smaller box toward them.

 

“Open it.”

 

Mal did as asked, but she didn’t for a moment not feel Regina’s eyes on her. They were waiting with anticipation.

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

When she opened the box she didn’t find anything shiny, or valuable looking. There were decorations of a _kind_. The first thing she fished out was a piece of card, attached to a string. It was clearly fashioned to be a snowflake, cut out in a haphazard manner. Tiny silver handprints had been ‘inked’ onto the paper to make it look like one. 

 

The next was another piece of card, and on it a small drawing of what appeared to be a — _deer_? 

 

“Henry made these?” She asked as she pulled more and more little trinkets out of the box. Tears came to her eyes — so this is what Regina had meant by special.

 

“Yes. And I _insist_ that he makes me something new each year. We hang them on the tree, and I’m reminded of just how lucky I am.”

 

Mal inhaled sharply, unable to look away from the decorations. Oh, of course it was endearing, to hear Regina say such things. And it was relieving that she’d had Henry, all these years, to love.

 

“What’s the matter my love?”

 

Still, no matter what had gone on between the two of them, Maleficent couldn’t help but think of Lily. Her Lily — _their_ Lily. 

 

Their daughter hadn’t had anybody to love her, and she was still out there in the world — _alone_. 

 

Mal had never had a Christmas with her. Never saw her grow up. Never had these special moments, not like Regina had with Henry. She couldn’t help but wonder, if Regina had known about her, maybe she would have found her? Maybe Lily could have had these things too?

 

“Lily,” she sighed, finally looking at her. It was hard not to cry, but she didn’t.

 

“Oh, we’ll find her. Emma is searching for leads, and as soon as we have one I’ll be out there looking.”

 

“No, it’s not that. I just — _we_ just — don’t have anything special of hers for the tree.”

 

She watched as Regina bit her lip, seemingly holding back her tears too. The only thing Maleficent had in the world that belonged to her daughter was that baby rattle, and she didn’t want to give that up, not for anything.

 

“Just a second.”

 

Her love seemingly had a brainwave. Regina hopped up and got a bauble out of the other box. Confusion written all over her face, Maleficent watched as she held it up in her hand. 

 

Literally, by magic, the shiny golden bauble transformed into a tiny gold dragon.

 

“For Lily?” Mal asked softly, standing up on shaky legs.

 

Regina nodded,

“For Lily.”

 

She handed it to her, and gestured for her to hang it on the tree. 

 

With a shaking hand Maleficent placed it on a branch, then took a step back to look in wonder. 

 

“I’m sure Henry won’t mind us having hung this one up without him,” Regina commented. Maleficent felt a hand squeeze hers.

 

They both stood, and watched, in the quiet, for a moment. Christmas, to Maleficent, was something she could grow fond of she was sure.

 

And so the two women finished their cocoa, and waited for Henry to come home. Maybe next year they’d have more special decorations  for Henry to hang on their tree.

 


End file.
